d Baron; thou shouldst know me, meseems." The Baron looked hard on
him and then round about the chamber, and cried out: "Holy Mary! 't is
Medard the carle-leader. Where am I, and where is the evil beast of a
minstrel? Hath he beguiled me?" Said Medard: "Lord, at this present
thou art in a chamber of my poor house in Eastcheaping. Doubtless
tomorrow, after we have had some talk together, thou and I and the
Porte, thou mayst go back home to Deepdale, or abide here to see how
we can feast, we carle-warriors, and to be holden in all honour."

Now came forth Stephen the Eater and said: "Lord, lo here the evil
beast of a minstrel who hath verily beguiled thee; but, Baron, it is
to thy gain and not thy loss. For tomorrow shall the war be ended, and
thou shalt be free to go back again to the fair women of Deepdale whom
thou lovest so much, and shalt save they men-at-arms, and thy weapons
and tents and timber, and victuals and drink a great heap; and all
this I deem, and more maybe, wouldst thou have lost hadst thou gone on
sitting perversely before Eastcheaping all for nought. So I will not
say pardon me, but make friends with me rather for being good to me."
And therewith he reached out his great hand to the Baron; but Osberne
drew him back by the girdle, and chid him for mocking a captive, while
the Baron turned his face to the wall and covered up his head with the
bed-clothes.

But ye may judge if there were riding and running in the leaguer next
morning when they could find the Baron nowhere; and one said this and
the other that; and he cried Kill and slay, and he cried Flee ere we
all come to like end; and great was the doubt and the turmoil. Amidst
of which comes Sir Medard on to the battlement of the north-west
tower, and beside him a squire bearing a white banner, and a herald
with a trumpet, which herald presently blew a loud blast, but such an
one as sounded not of war but of parley. So when the captains and
leaders heard the said blast and saw the white banner of peace, they
deemed that new tidings were toward, and a half score of them crossed
over their dyke bearing a white banner with them, and came close under
the tower whereon stood Sir Medard; and the chiefest of them, an old
hoar man and very wise, hight Sir Degore, stood before the others all
unhelmed and said: "Is it Sir Medard that standeth up there?"

"Yea verily," said the Knight; "and what art thou? Art thou a leader
of the host that sitteth about us?"